by Debra Wallace
My scale and I became enemies when my type A personality railroaded it into starving me. I didn’t weigh myself for 10 years. As long as I worked out and felt good, my weight was irrelevant, dangerous even. When I went to the doctor’s office I proudly stood backwards. Ditto for three pregnancies.
I gave birth to my third biological child the year I turned 29. A few pregnancies had twisted my appetite into an aggressive monster while my metabolism betrayed me as it aged. I was tired and perpetually dissatisfied with the way I looked in photos, but I chalked it up to my busy life. It didn’t occur to me that I had some pounds to shed and I mostly hid behind the camera anyway.
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| May 2011. I made Jason take about 200 pictures before there was ONE that I liked (it wasn’t this one!). I barely even recognize myself in these photos now. |
By that summer my sister and a close friend each lost at least 30 pounds and I flew into the 8 week postpartum phase with pants that didn’t pretend to button. It jolted me. I signed up for Spark People, and set my goal weight at minus 10 pounds.
The first month was a harrowing experience of desiring chocolate but eating carrots, and marrying myself to the Y. As I became reacquainted with my scale, it encouraged me that I was, in fact, making progress.
By Christmas my pants buttoned. A few months later, I was down nearly 50 pounds. And I looked awesome in photos (even bad photos like this one!!!).
I hadn’t realized that the extra cells clinging to my body were also nursing my energy, and in many ways also my joy. During my fourth pregnancy last summer, I managed to gain only 30 pounds. I could have stayed pregnant forever.
I still have about 10 to lose from number four, so I’m working on it again, but that initial experience was formative. If I lost 50 pounds once, that makes me an official superhero.
If you’re looking to reinvent yourself in this cookie free time of year, the Rochester YMCA has 50% off joining fees this month.
Or if you don’t have enough time to go to the Y and are looking for something to do at home, I have a special offer from Primal Belle. Sign up for the newsletter (below) during the month of January and receive a $15 off coupon for one on one Kettlebell training.
Also be sure to check out the 2014 Portrait Give Away, happening now!
Happy New Year!!!
